(May 28, 2008) Chief engineer of the Regional Geology Investigation Team of the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau argues that the now damaged Zipingpu dam may have induced the May 12 earthquake.
China considers earthquake danger of dams
(May 28, 2008) With so many of Sichuan’s dams and reservoirs at risk of collapse, this month’s earthquake “may tilt the balance of public opinion in favour of a more cautious and environmentally conscious approach to such development,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
Chinese troops blast rock dams to drain off lakes as threat grows
(May 27, 2008) The Tangjiashan lake in northern Sichuan province has forced the evacuation of 160,000 people and is putting a further a million people at risk, reports The Australian.
Earthquake Information
(May 23, 2008) For updates on the Sichuan earthquake, including information on landslides, dams, aftershocks, regional tectonics, intensity and exposure estimations, see this comprehensive website.
China quake batters energy industry
(May 22, 2008) Deputy Industry Minister Xi Guohua said early this week that companies had suffered $9.5 billion in damage from the earthquake, reports Business Week.
China’s Wen returns to quake zone as sheltering crisis looms
(May 22, 2008) The threat of flooding from blocked rivers is of increasing concern as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao returns to Sichuan province, reports Bloomberg.
Earthquake Update
(May 21, 2008) Three Gorges Probe has gathered and translated the latest news from the Chinese-language press.
China asserts conditions of dams are stable
(May 20, 2008) A senior Chinese engineer has said that a series of dams situated in the vicinity of the epicenter should remain stable barring any massive aftershocks, reports the Wall Street Journal.
China’s quake: the dam factor
(May 20, 2008) A foreign service correspondent for the San Francicso Chronicle quotes Probe International’s Patricia Adams in a story linking China’s devastating earthquake to speculation that the country’s enormous Three Gorges dam “was a factor in causing the killer Sichuan province quake.”
China earthquakes. More peril: Dam and reservoir collapse
(May 17, 2008) The 7.8 earthquake that shook Sichuan Province in the afternoon of May 12, killing an estimated 50,000, is posing a continuing threat as the untold damage to hydropower stations and reservoir dams upstream on the Min River (the Minjiang) becomes apparent, reports Chinastakes.
China sends experts to assess reservoir damage in quake-hit Sichuan
(May 16, 2008) China’s Ministry of Water Resources on Friday dispatched nine emergency repair teams to Sichuan to assess the conditions of reservoirs after Monday’s massive earthquake, reports Xinhua.
Case Study: Three Gorges Dam
(May 15, 2008) Though the deadly Wenchuan earthquake was the result of tectonic stresses, experts are concerned that the filling of the Three Gorges dam’s enormous reservoir may have induced or exacerbated the earthquake.
What Makes A Tremor So Destructive?
(May 15, 2008) As China reels following Monday’s earthquake, scientists are just beginning to figure out the complex mechanics that triggered a temblor of such destructive force and widespread reach.
Chinese dams compromised by earthquake; authorities on alert
(May 14, 2008) In the wake of China’s massive earthquake, and amidst the desperate recovery effort, Chinese authorities have still more to worry about as damage to existing dams becomes evident.
China’s deadly earthquake: Was the Three Gorges reservoir a trigger?
(May 14, 2008) The world’s earthquake experts have identified tectonic plate movements as the cause of this week’s earthquake in southwestern China. But the question now is did the filling of the massive Three Gorges reservoir, which reaches the southeastern part of the Sichuan Basin, trigger seismic activity in what has always been an earthquake-prone region?
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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